(1) Field of the Invention
The instant invention relates to an apparatus for improving air quality.
More specifically, the instant invention is an apparatus used to reduce fine trash and dust in a textile processing operation.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
In the prior art one principal objective in the processing of cotton fiber from a bale to a carding machine is to reduce cotton tuft size while the mass of tufts are being opened by fluffing such that large quantities of trash are removed. Inherent in the process of opening and cleaning cotton tufts from bales of cotton is the generation of fine trash and dust that contaminate the surrounding atmosphere. Many improvements have been made over the years to develop high quality yarns in a dust free atmosphere. Efforts to reduce atmospheric dust surrounding the opening and cleaning process for cotton have been successful to the extent of capturing the dirty air constituting the environment, cleaning the dirty air, and recycling the cleaned air into the textile mill. Such cleaning methods are efficient and useful but fail to remove any fine trash and dust that remain with the cotton fibers. The remaining fine trash and dust are thus carried with the fibers into the carding process. Further atmospheric contamination occurs as fine trash and dust are released in the carding process for cotton fiber. This atmospheric contamination by fine particles is now subject to strict standards either established or being established through the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970.
Some opening and cleaning machines in a processing line produce cotton that has been opened to a high degree and discharges the opened cotton mixed with fine trash and dust at a high velocity to the next step in the cotton processing line. As stated above, there have been numerous techniques to clean the dirty air associated with the opening and cleaning process, however, no prior art thus far addresses the problem of removal of the fine trash and dust directly associated with cotton opened to a high degree by opening and cleaning machinery.